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Back The Copycat Save as PDF
Chapters (68)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Chapter One
  7. Three
  8. Four
  9. Five
  10. Six
  11. Chapter Two
  12. Seven
  13. Eight
  14. Nine
  15. Chapter Three
  16. Ten
  17. Eleven
  18. Chapter Four
  19. Twelve
  20. Thirteen
  21. Fourteen
  22. Chapter Five
  23. Fifteen
  24. Sixteen
  25. Chapter Six
  26. Seventeen
  27. Eighteen
  28. Nineteen
  29. Chapter Seven
  30. Twenty
  31. Twenty-One
  32. Twenty-Two
  33. Chapter Eight
  34. Twenty-Three
  35. Twenty-Four
  36. Twenty-Five
  37. Chapter Nine
  38. Twenty-Six
  39. Twenty-Seven
  40. Chapter Ten
  41. Twenty-Eight
  42. Twenty-Nine
  43. Thirty
  44. Thirty-One
  45. Chapter Eleven
  46. Thirty-Two
  47. Thirty-Three
  48. Thirty-Four
  49. Thirty-Five
  50. Chapter Twelve
  51. Thirty-Six
  52. Thirty-Seven
  53. Thirty-Eight
  54. Chapter Thirteen
  55. Thirty-Nine
  56. Forty
  57. Forty-One
  58. Forty-Two
  59. Chapter Fourteen
  60. Forty-Three
  61. Forty-Four
  62. Forty-Five
  63. Forty-Six
  64. Forty-Seven
  65. Chapter Fifteen
  66. The Following Summer
  67. About the Author
  68. About the Publisher

Emily pulled out her phone and took several pictures while Ali continued to watch the seal. “Why do its eyes look so gross?”

The zoologist smiled. “Seals have a protective ring of mucus around their eyes that keeps them moist when they’re out of the water. It works, but it also makes it difficult for our fellow here to see well.”

“You’ll be interested to know that seals don’t see in color,” Dr. Reynolds added. “In other words, we look like a bunch of gray blobs to him.”

The seal closed its eyes again.

“If they only see gray blobs, how do they find each other on shore?” asked Ali.

“They rely on smell and hearing,” the zoologist said.

“How do they find their way home if they’re nowhere near other seals?” said Emily.

Dr. Reynolds smiled. “It’s a bit of a mystery, but they seem to find a way.”

“How long do you think they’ll stay here?” Ali asked.

“I suppose until the fog lessens. We suspect they got lost and ended up here,” said Dr. McAloon. “Of course, they can’t tell us their itinerary, so your guess is as good as mine.”

Ali stared at the herd. Toward the center, one of the seals had a patchy coat, and in places the fur had rubbed off completely. As if it could sense she was watching, it opened its eyes. Unlike the other seals, its eyes were a milky gray and mucus-free. She pointed it out to Dr. Reynolds. “Is that one sick?”

“We’re not sure. The rest of the herd is quite protective of him, so maybe. Another sign of poor health is that he’s shedding his fur, which is unusual, because typically seals do that early in the year. We suspect he’s blind, because there’s no mucus. Of course, there are always outliers.”

“Outliers?” Ali asked.

“Something that’s different, but may be still normal,” said Emily.

Ali could relate. She liked how scientific “outlier” sounded, versus the term “Copycat.”

ALI’S RULES FOR HAVING AN ADVENTURE

  1. Try not to be afraid.
  2. Don’t be shy (or maybe don’t be AS shy).
  3. Keep your eyes and ears open.
  4. Be prepared to learn something about yourself. Example: the word “outlier” is way better than Copycat!

The scientists returned to their data collection. The girls continued to watch the seals for several minutes, neither speaking. Emily glanced down at her watch. “We’d better get going.”

They said goodbye to the scientists and trudged back up Sydney Street.

“Wasn’t that amazing?” breathed Emily.

Ali nodded. “I’m so glad we went to see them.” And she was, though she couldn’t stop thinking about the sick seal. It made her sad.

“Wait until we tell everyone at school tomorrow,” Emily crowed. “We really are explorers, aren’t we? I bet everyone will want to go to Tin Can Beach to see the seals now.”